Our Grand Getaway: The Reunion

On Saturday, the kids and I attended the Blackham family reunion. Debbie, Stephen, and Carl are the three living Blackham siblings, children of Ralph Stephenson and Annie DeOra. As many of their children and grandchildren that could attend came to a park in Kaysville, Utah where we ate good food, played games, shot off rockets, and just had a wonderful day.

I was the unofficial photographer for the event. I was so glad to meet and catch up with Erick's cousins and aunts and uncles. Though we missed Erick a lot along with Rick and Andee's family.

Scotland: Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is located on top of a hill in the middle of the city that can be seen from miles away, and the castle complex is massive. We started our day by taking a train into town and walking up the hill to the castle.

The castle has tons of history with museums, chapels, military training facilities, shops, and more. We enjoyed it all.

At one o'clock, we watched a massive cannon explode. This cannon was used in the 1800s and early 1900s to help nearby ships set maritime clocks on board.

The boys enjoyed checking out many cannons on the castle complex.

Scotland: Old Man of Storr

While I was researching the Isle of Skye before our trip, I saw gorgeous pictures of distinct tall narrow rock formations. The photos that I saw online were breathtaking, and I wanted to see the rock formations for myself. 

I knew it would be a bit of a hike to get to the rock formations, but I was excited to do it. I was sure the kids would love it! The sky was still overcast, but the weather was mild. 

The tallest and most famous of the formations is called Old Man of Storr. In the next picture, you can sort of make out the shape of it in the center. Unfortunately, the higher we climbed, the more dense the fog became. 

We decided to stop and wait for the fog to roll off. Waiting had already worked once today at the lighthouse. It seemed like a good idea...

The longer we waited, the more thick the fog became. Eventually, we decided to continue our hike up toward the formations. We hiked all the way up until we touched the Old Man of Storr. And that's when the wind and the rain started coming down. Hard:

We hiked back down a very wet and muddy mountain. It was quite an adventure! Once we got back to the car, we were dripping wet. We had the boys strip down to their underwear, so they wouldn't be too cold and their clothes could dry. Joey and Bailey wouldn't go for that idea themselves, so they just suffered for the five hour drive to Edinburgh.

Scotland: Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan castle was probably my favorite castle to photograph, with a stone bridge leading to the entrance and a beautiful lake surrounding it. I struggled, however, to capture the castle without hoards of people in every shot. I have learned through my travels, that patience often pays off.

After touring the castle and preparing to leave, I noticed that there was a lull in the number of visitors walking along the bridge. I jumped at my chance, and captured a few of my favorite photos from this trip:

The tide was out, so Erick and the kids hiked all around the grounds and under the bridge. It is a beautiful place!

Brief History: The name Eilean Donan means island of Donan. Donan was the name of an Irish Saint, who came to Scotland in 580 AD. Many churches and buildings in the area share this name.

The first fortifications at this location were built in the 1200s to protect the inhabitants from Vikings, who terrorized this area.

In the 1600s and 1700s, Eilean Donan played a role in the Jacobite uprisings. In 1719, English ships bombarded the castle, which housed Jacobite supporters. Afterward, soldiers went ashore and blew up the castle.

The fortress remained in ruins until until Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911. LTC Macrae-Gilstrap had the castle restored and opened to the public.